Father's Day

Dear Dad,

This is impossible to write without bawling like a baby.  All I wrote was “Dear Dad” and I lost it. 

Happy Father’s Day. 

Whenever I have been asked to describe you, I usually start by saying “solid” – which sounds so boring, but it’s not.  When I say solid I mean you are nothing if not reliable and predictable and it’s a dying art that we should all admire in this ever-changing world of ours.  It means, of course, the little things like you are always early, you never speed, the lawn in always mowed, and you follow the exact same routine every single day whether that means your hairstyle or starting the coffee for when mom wakes up. 

It means that any one of your 6 kids, their spouses, or your 12 grandchildren could call you at any hour of the day with a flat tire, an invite to a t-ball game, or a last-minute need for a baby sitter, and you’ll be there with a smile on your face.  And I know that you’re not even doing it because you should or we need you.  Any guy can show up because it’s the right thing to do.  You show up because it’s the right thing to do AND because you want to.  You are interested in every aspect of our lives from our friends to our activities, and you genuinely want to walk around proudly wearing a t-shirt with the logo from our place of work.

It means that you got up at the crack of dawn every single day to go to a job that you maybe didn’t hate, but you maybe didn’t love to support your family.  You came home after loooong days at work to play catch with me or take me to my softball game only to wake up the next day and take me to bowling league (bowling league!).  I was never confused about what your expectations were because I only needed to look to you as the example.   We were to work hard, live with integrity and respect, and take care of ourselves and our family.  Still to this very day I think about you when I need to make a big decision or I take a wrong turn.  And still to this day I cannot imagine anything worse than disappointing you. 

You are solid because you like what you like and you don’t ask for more.  You are perfectly content with a burger, a baseball game on T.V., and a night with the family you adore.  Your family adores you right back.  I love our traditions of watching basketball, going to baseball games, and shopping for gifts together.  I love every opportunity to meet you for dinner and giggle with you.  One of the things that makes me excited to be a mom someday is thinking about watching my own kids fall in love with you like the others have. 

When I say solid, I mean you are a man who stands at the head of the family like a rock, no... more like a mountain.    You are the absolute greatest.  The gold standard for good dads.  You are the perfect mix of strength, humor, intelligence, fun, wisdom, and absolute devotion to family.  We were all reminded this week of what a gift it is to have our family in our lives every single day, and how it can be taken away too soon.  Please know how unbelievably grateful I am to have you here and to call you my dad.

Love,

Megan